The rents

So the parents have been visiting this weekend and actually it's not been too bad except for the fact that we don't have all that much in common. I like being active, sporty and keeping fit, they on the other hand are not so much!

Never mind, I got to see more of the city than I was expecting too and areas that I had never been before which was great. I've got a couple of friends visiting in April so I'm sure I'll be taking a trip with them.

Off to Manchester next week for work and it's going to be a pretty heavy week. 12 hour shifts and no weekend makes me unhappy. Fingers crossed for days off in lieu. Will probably be taking them in March if I get them so would be good to get away and take a break. Perhaps somewhere with a spa. My Manchester hotel has little more than conference facilities and located by the airport so not the most ideal area either. Still, I'm hoping to meet up with a few friends during my rest times.

Very much looking forward to getting into my own bed tonight and not sleeping on the sofa bed. There's only so much of it I can take!

Weekend away

Well I managed to get away for a few days in....Abu Dhabi!!!!

Awesome place but I was on a real budget. It really helps to know someone in the airline industry. Managed to get cheap flights and spent most of the time on the beach which was great! A nice change to the cold and grey here in London. I did end up spending more than I was hoping but it was well worth it. I flew standby which was a little stressful to begin with but once I knew what I was doing it was fine. Definitely the way forward if you can be flexible.

I went shooting which was amazing and it turns out, I'm scarily good at it to the point where the instructor asks me if I'm a police officer! We also found this cool shop that basically imports loads of Japanese goodies and it's all really cheap. I was in heaven. Got a few joke presents and a couple of bits for the dog too. I'm sure he will love tearing them apart.

Came back loving 'Imagine Dragons - Radioactive'. It's a fantastic song and perfect to try and get a few extra reps out at the gym. The video is pretty cool too. My problem is that when I really like a song, I play it over and over again. Which is what I have been doing since I downloaded it on iTunes this morning. Only problem is, I downloaded it to my ipad but now I can't get it on my laptop where I transfer my music to my ipod. Damn technology.

I hope I get it sorted in time for the gym tomorrow. Any ideas anyone? I'm sure I will have it playing over and over again there. Thank goodness for the ipod invention otherwise people will probably start hating me. Some of their other music is good but Radioactive is by far my favourite one. Trying to keep positive about going back to work tomorrow. I need to book another weekend away to look forward to.

Sunday evenings

Sunday evenings for me is that time when you look back at the weekend and what you've done. Whether you've done lots, or just wasted it, this is when you actually realise. For me, what I hate, is when I look back and think, what a waste of a weekend that was. Either because I was hungover so didn't really want to do anything, or when I just didn't achieve anything, it gets to me. Especially with Monday morning looming.

So I make plans for the next weekend. I HAVE to do something with it. Whether it's go out to the coast and go for a bike ride, or see a show or something that will make me proud to go into work on Monday and say, "yep, this is what I did".

It's not so much a case of showing off, I just hate wasting time when I could have been doing something so interesting. Granted, lugging your mountain bike halfway across the country when the trains are messed up on a Sunday is never fun, but there are plenty of other things to explore. The other weekend I took a guide book and walked around London, exploring all the nooks and crannies that most people don't even realise are there in London. It's fun and you learn a lot too.

What I most want to do with my weekend is to do something adventurous. I had a look at paragliding in the French Alps. It was only going to cost £1000!!! I couldn't believe it. By the time I had flown, hired a car, and got up in the sky, that 1k mark had been achieved. Such a shame everything costs so much money!

New Year - New Start

So it's the new year and like all people I have my resolutions, mainly involving food and fitness. I tend to keep to mine though which are no alcohol for six months (a big one but I don't think it will be as bad as people are making it out to be) and no crisps, sweets or chocolate for the whole year. I've done the last one before and it was the initial stages that were difficult to get over. I've had my fair share of chocolate and sweets over the Christmas period so I've grown a bit of a sweet tooth and where I would have a chocolate bar in the afternoon, I'm having to replace it with a tuna wrap. I'll do it I'm sure.

The main aim of this is to get a six pack. I've always been quite fit and healthy and despite having suffered a pulled hamstring before Christmas, I do quite well. However, I do tend to eat junk and it's completely true, 80% of your fitness regime should come from food. It's fair enough to have the extra calories but when it's pure sugar instead of nutrient rich vegetables, that's when you start putting on the gut.

So back to the gym I've gone and with a new workout regime in place, I've also upped my nutrition supplements. I take protein shakes a couple of times a day but a friend recommended Tribulus Terrestris from Activate Nutrition which helps to build muscle by boosting testosterone and increasing endurance during workouts. This means you have more energy and power to lift more or higher weights. I've not noticed any size difference yet, but then we are only a few days in, however, I do feel like I have more energy at the gym, which is great but this could just be a psychological thing. Who knows but then if it's working, which it seems to be, then that's great!

Korea is calling!

So I sit here, anxiously waiting for the day to hurry up so that I can head to the airport and get my flight. My friend just checked and it’s oversold by one, so no chance of an upgrade or three seats together for me. Damn those night flights! I’ve also just found out that the DMZ tour that heads to the border with North Korea is also full on Saturday and it isn’t running on any other day so I’m a little disappointed. I’d love to head into North Korea at some point though. I once read that when tourists visit, the locals are told that they are visiting to learn more about why North Korea is such a great country and to take ideas back to improve their home country. It’s a crazy system but it fascinates me no end.

So Seoul is booked....

So I've decided to go for it and visit Korea. A friend of mine is working over there at the moment and with cheap flights, I saw it as the perfect opportunity to get out of this place!

I’m very excited although a little nervous. My Korean language skills are non-existent and from what I hear, not many people speak English in Korea. Still it makes a change to going somewhere like Germany or Italy

Stunning Hamilton Island

I am going to start of my blog with one of my most favourite places on earth, Hamilton Island on Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

Hamilton Island is arguably one of the most beautiful islands in the world and it’s so easy to see why. As one of the largest Whitsunday Islands on Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef in Australia, this resort is popular with